


Difficult Decisions

by chatsladybugaboo



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, Identity Reveal, LadyNoir - Freeform, Marichat, Post-Season/Series 03, Romance, Slow Burn, adrienette - Freeform, ladrien, maybe there will be plot who knows
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:21:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26100325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chatsladybugaboo/pseuds/chatsladybugaboo
Summary: But now Master Fu wasn't around.And she was the guardian.And she had no way to reach Chat while they weren't transformed.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 6
Kudos: 44





	Difficult Decisions

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys. I don't really know what inspired me to write this (and not the other fic ideas I've had floating around in my head for the last four years) but here you go. I'm not sure how far I will get, but I have a few scenes that I really wanted to write, so I will do my best.  
> I really hope you guys like this! <3

Marinette had always been curious about Chat Noir's identity. Of course she had been. Who wouldn't be? And he had clearly wanted to know who she was from the start. But knowing was too dangerous.

While Master Fu was the guardian, he knew their identities, and it remained crucial that no one else know who they were behind the masks. One person knowing was already too much, and Marinette valued the safety of Chat's and her loved ones far above her desire to know who he was. And he respected that.

And above everything, with Master Fu around she had felt a sense of security. If anything serious were to happen, he would know what to do. He would be able to reach her or Chat if it was necessary.

But now Master Fu wasn't around.

And she was the guardian.

And she had no way to reach Chat while they weren't transformed.

If something were to happen, what would she do?

But she couldn’t think about that. Nothing would happen. It was still a matter of safety. It was okay that no one knew who she was or who Chat was. Knowing each other's identities was far too dangerous.

She refused to even consider the idea.

Everything would be fine.

\---

Marinette wasn't paying attention during class. Her mind was elsewhere, as it usually was during Mlle Bustier’s class. Though it wasn’t occupied by a particular blonde boy sitting in front of her like it usually was. Okay, that was sort of a lie, but it wasn’t occupied in the same way.

It was no secret to her by now that Luka was definitely interested in her, and he was by no means being shy about it. And it would be a lie to say she wasn’t at least a little bit interested in him, because she was. But no matter what Luka said or did, her thoughts always returned to Adrien. Luka was kind, selfless, funny, talented, good looking, and everything else a girl could ever want in a boyfriend. But he still wasn’t Adrien. And it was completely unfair for Marinette to compare the two of them. So she had decided that before she could commit her heart to Luka, she needed to make it her mission to getting over Adrien. Luka had understood, saying he wouldn’t rush her or have any hard feelings if things didn't work out, which almost made her heart ache more. “If we are meant to be together, your heart song will change. And if not, then I will be happy as long as you are happy, Marinette,” he had told her when she had explained why she couldn’t return his feelings.

So yes, she was currently paying more attention to Adrien than to whatever Mlle Bustier was writing on the blackboard. But it wasn’t her usual fluffy, romantic daydream. She was trying to find anything about him that she was not attracted to. Something she could use to start off operation “Get Over Adrien and Change My Heart Song.”

However, her mission was abruptly cut short by screaming coming from outside of the building. An Akuma.

Her mind immediately switched gears as she prepared to transform. "Mlle Bustier, I need to use the bathroom!" she yelled, her hand shooting up.

Almost at the exact same moment, Adrien’s hand shot up in front of hers as he said, "I need to go to the restroom, please."

It was odd, Marinette thought, how often they needed to use the bathroom at the exact same time. Maybe that could be a negative aspect of Adrien; how could they be married and live together if they both always had to pee right at the same moment. Though, they could just get a house with more than one bathroom. And she usually wasn't actually 'using the bathroom' anyway. She was more often than not going to transform into Ladybug. Maybe Adrien was the type of person who had to pee when nervous, and Akumas set off his urge to go?

But Marinette couldn’t think about this right now. She needed to get out of the room, and fast. Unfortunately, it was too late. "You two will have to wait, I think there's an Akuma! Everyone remain calm, let's all get into safe positions away from the doors and windows like we've practiced!" said Mlle Bustier, running over to turn off the lights next to the doorway.

Marinette scurried up behind her, ready to make her move. "Please can I go," she whispered, trying to make the urgency evident in her voice. "It's.... that time of the month. And I forgot to change my... you know..." She feigned a sheepish expression, telepathically pleading with her teacher. She had to transform now; the screaming was only getting louder.

Mlle Bustier glanced out of the classroom, looking up and down the hall. "Oh, all right. But run! And do not leave the bathroom until you hear the announcement to return." she said, ushering Marinette out of the room and quickly closing the door behind her. As she was running down the hall, Marinette heard a muffled, "I'm sorry Adrien, but you will just have to hold it in!" coming from the door.

She reached the bathroom with enough time to glance out and see a giant, furry, white, creature lumbering up the stairs. As it reached Marinette's classroom, the Akuma ripped the door directly off its hinges and threw it down the hall. Marinette only narrowly avoided being hit.

"CHLOE BOURGEOIS," it bellowed, screams echoing from the room. "YOU SAID MY ICE SCULPTURE WAS RIDICULOUS, BUT I THINK YOU'RE RIDICULOUS! YOU DESERVE A FROZEN BODY TO MATCH YOUR FROZEN HEART!"

The creature let out a loud roar and a burst of blinding blue light erupted through the door. Knowing there was no more time to waste, Marinette turned into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

"It's nearly May! Shouldn't this Abominable Akuma be melted by now?" joked Tikki, flying out of Marinette's purse and preparing to transform.

"Looks like Chat and I will have to do the hard work yet again,” Marinette giggled. “Tikki, spots on!" The rush of transforming faded and Ladybug peeked out of the door just in time to see the Akuma stomping away with what looked like an ice sculpture of Chloe clutched in its fist.

Ladybug ran back to the classroom, but before she even reached the doorway she could tell something was off. The air felt chilly, and a shiny, transparent substance was covering the molding around the empty doorway.

Ice.

She slowly peered into the classroom to find more ice covering the floor, desks, walls, and ceiling in a cone starting from the doorway and following the direction of Chloe's usual spot. It took a second to register what she was seeing as the sunlight bounced off of the ice and reflected back at her, causing her to shield her eyes. But then she noticed the ice sculptures. 

Only, they weren't sculptures.

She first noticed Mlle Bustier, standing in front of the class with her arms out, attempting to protect them. Behind her, Adrien stood frozen. He looked like he was trying to escape. His expression was urgent, like there was something he needed to do. He had also wanted to leave the room right as the Akuma attacked. Maybe he didn't actually have to go to the bathroom…

Her heart gave a dull thump as the image of him running to another class to protect Kagami appeared in her head. Of course he would want to go and protect his girlfriend. Adrien was too kind, he always put the safety of others above himself. Especially the safety of his loved ones.

But Kagami was her friend too, and she also deserved to be happy. If being together made her and Adrien happy, Marinette would just have to accept it. She mentally jotted this down as the biggest reason she had for operation “Get Over Adrien and Change My Heart Song.” But now was not the time to be feeling sorry for herself. 

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she glanced around the rest of the room. It seemed that, though clearly aimed at Chloe, the blast was strong enough to freeze almost all of the room. Most of her classmates were now ice statues, staring ahead, their expressions locked in fear. 

A noise to her right caught her attention. "L-ladybug! The Akuma t-took Chloe!" said Alya, her teeth chattering. Her and Nino appeared to be the only two not affected by the blast as they huddled together against the wall. They must have been just out of range when the Akuma struck. 

"Alya! Nino! Are you alright?" Ladybug asked, walking up to the couple. They were shivering, she noticed. The chill of the room finally registered, and she realized she was shivering as well.

"Y-yes, we're okay, j-just cold," Nino said, hugging his girlfriend tighter. "T-t-the Akuma called itself Frozen Heart! And when it opened its m-mouth to scream at C-Chloe it shot out this cr-crazy ice blast!"

"I-i-i think the Akuma is in its g-goggles, Ladybug! I've never seen a Y-yeti wearing eye protection before!" Alya added, looking excited.

"I would h-hope you've never seen any Yetis before," Ladybug laughed in response. Nevertheless, she was glad for the tip. 

"Okay, well I'll t-take care of it. You two better get somewhere s-safe, and w-warm” Ladybug said, helping them to their feet. “I think it left the school building, so t-try and find another classroom t-to hide in." Ladybug turned to leave, but a hand on her arm held her back.

She turned to see Alya looking back at her. "L-ladybug, I know that it might be unlikely for Nino and I to ever be Carapace and R-r-rena Rouge again. but we still want to h-help. If you ever need us, w-we will be here for you."

"You can c-c-count on us, Ladybug!" Nino nodded in agreement, shivering harder than ever.

Seeing the determined looks on her friends’ faces strengthened Ladybug's resolve and gave her hope. As the new guardian, it was more important than ever that she choose future Miraculous holders wisely. She knew she had made the right choice with these two.

"Thank you." She said, smiling as she finally turned to leave. "B-bug out!"

\---

It didn't take long for Ladybug to find Frozen Heart. All she had to do was follow the frozen path the monster had created, leading her to the Louvre. Along the way, she could see Innocent civilians frozen like statues, just as her classmates had been. It was so cold here that it was even snowing! She hoped her friends had been able to get warmed up. 

But Frozen Heart wasn't hiding. He was waiting in front of the Louvre’s glass pyramid, ice-Chloe trapped in a smaller, but identical, pyramid made of ice next to him.

Ladybug glanced around. She had expected Chat to be here by now, but she couldn't see him. And he certainly wasn't one for hiding either. She would just have to take care of things while she waited for him to show up. He never took too long to arrive when there was an Akuma to save.

Or so she thought. After what seemed like 30 minutes of struggling to get the cursed object, Ladybug had still not succeeded and Chat had still not appeared. Every time Ladybug would get close enough to grab Frozen Heart's goggles, he would aim an ice blast directly at her, and several times she just barely escaped. It was difficult to be the decoy _and_ capture the Akuma all by herself. She needed her kitty. Where was he?

Finally deciding he wasn't coming, she had no choice but to cast her Lucky Charm, and into her arms fell a small red plushie with black polka dots. Upon closer inspection, she realized that this doll matched the Rena Rouge doll she had made herself as part of her superheroes/villains collection back at home. "I guess I have no choice. The Lucky Charm always knows best," she thought, sneaking away from the fight and heading in the direction of her room above the bakery.

As she lept down through the trapdoor, she let her transformation fall so Tikki could recharge and headed over to where she kept the miracle box, hidden and locked away safely. 

"Where is Chat?" Tikki questioned, her mouth full with a cookie she had taken from Marinette’s secret stash in her desk.

"I don't know Tikki, he never showed up. But I can't shake the feeling that maybe he was frozen by the Akuma too. It's happened before where he wasn't able to come help. It's not his fault if the Akuma got to him before he could transform." She sighed, offering Tikki another cookie. "But last time Plagg was able to come and help at least. No Plagg really worries me."

"He might be frozen too..." Tikki nodded solemnly. "So your Lucky Charm told you to get another Miraculous holder to help?"

"Yes. Specifically, it asked for Rena. But I'm worried about that too, Tikki. How can I ask Alya to transform again when Hawk Moth knows her identity?"

"That is a good point. Can you think of someone else who would be a good choice? You could ask Nino! No one would know if he was the turtle _and_ the fox!" Tikki offered, hopeful.

"No, I don't think Nino would make a good fox. He's too protective. It has to be Alya." Marinette sounded regretful saying this. The last thing she wanted was for Alya to become a target of Hawk Moth's attacks. But the Lucky Charm was explicitly clear this time, so she knew she needed to listen.

"Well," said Tikki, glancing around the room at Marinette's fashion projects. "What if Alya was the fox, but wasn't Rena Rouge?"

"What do you mean Tikki? There aren't two fox Miraculous."

"I know. What I mean is, when a Miraculous holder transforms, their super-persona is something that they deep down want to be. The costume I mean. You look the way you do as Ladybug because _Marinette_ thinks that that's the ideal suit for Ladybug right now. Remember how Aspik and Vipereon looked different? That's because Adrien and Luka had different subconscious ideas of what type of suit they thought they would need." Tikki was excited about this prospect, but Marinette remained skeptical.

"So you're telling me,” she asked, her eyebrow arching, “Chat has a bell and a leather belt for a tail because he _wants_ to?" She snorted trying to hold back her laughter at Tikki’s giggle.

"Well, yes. He might not _know_ he wants to. But that's what his subconscious has decided upon," Tikki nodded. "But you've used that tail quite a few times to defeat villains, so I wouldn't go making fun of it!" She giggled again.

Marinette allowed herself to laugh at this. "That's a fair point. Okay. But if the costume is decided by the holder's subconscious, how am I supposed to get Alya to change her look?"

"Well, sometimes a hero's look can change based on a drastic change in that person's life or personality. Such as a traumatic event, or sometimes something as simple as growing older and the hero's mindset changing. But I also think that if a person wanted to change their costume badly enough, they might be able to do it. With good enough reason, that is. The Miraculous _is_ a powerful magical artifact after all." Tikki floated over to Marinette's dolls, landing in front of the Rena Rouge doll. "If you explained to Alya, maybe she could convince Trixx to change things up. With a drastic new look, the magic of the Miraculous could trick others into thinking it was an entirely different person! Then a simple name change, and voila! No more Alya-Rena, hello new fox!"

Marinette paced around her room in thought. If Tikki was right, this could be a potentially excellent plan. Tikki looked up at her hopefully. "I don't have much choice, do I."

"No, I don't think you do," Tikki shook her head, floating back over to where Marinette was standing. "I'm ready to transform again."

Setting her worries aside and focusing on what needed to be done, Marinette called for her transformation and grabbed the fox Miraculous, making sure the miracle box was back in its safe location, and headed out towards her school.

\---

Ladybug found Alya and Nino a few doors down the hall in an empty classroom, no longer freezing. Lucky for her, she wouldn't need to think up an excuse to get Alya alone.

"Ladybug, what's wrong?" Asked Alya, worry evident in her voice. "I waited here in case you needed us, but people have been live streaming on the Ladyblog. Where's Chat?"

"I don't know, but I don't have much time to explain this to you so you're going to have to listen closely. And just trust me. If this works I think we will have a way to not only defeat this Akuma, but to potentially work around the fact that Hawkmoth knows your identities," said Ladybug, taking the fox Miraculous out of her yoyo's hidden magical compartment. "You will be the guinea pig, Alya. As long as that's okay with you. If it works, then when I need Carapace, or uh, the turtle holder in the future, I can come to Nino and try it with him as well."

"I'm all ears," she said, determined. 

Nino burst out laughing. "All ears! Because she's a fox! Get it?"

Both Alya and Ladybug just stared at Nino, a look of mild exasperation on their faces. But Ladybug couldn't help but offer a tiny smile. "Chat might not be here, but awful puns must be the curse of being Ladybug," she smirked at Alya who offered a snort.

Alya and Nino both listened intently as Ladybug explained the plan her and Tikki had devised a few minutes earlier, nodding along to show they understood. "My Lucky Charm this time requested Rena - uh, the fox, specifically, so I'm sorry Nino but you'll have to sit this one out.”

"Fair enough." He shrugged.

Turning back to Alya, Ladybug continued. "All you have to do is focus on a completely different look, one that could potentially be the fox Miraculous holder but looks very different from Rena. You’ll also need a new superhero name, obviously, and you will maybe have to act a little differently for any prolonged public interaction. According to my Kwami, the magic of the Miraculous should do the rest. Are you willing to try it out?"

Alya didn't even need time to consider it. "Of course! So I just have to concentrate really hard while I transform on what I want the new outfit to look like, right? And Trixx will do it?"

Trixx chose this moment to magically appear from the fox pendant, now in Alya's hands. "I'll do my best!" he offered with a wink.

"Alright! Trixx, let's pounce!" Alya said, confidently. It was hard to notice, but Ladybug knew Alya well enough that she could tell her best friend was concentrating harder than ever.

As the bright light of her transformation faded, Alya's new superhero persona appeared. Her hair was the same color as Rena's but it was cut short in a pixie style. The ends were still frosted with little white tips, but the ponytail was completely gone. Instead of Rena's old bodysuit, Alya was now sporting what looked like a black tuxedo jacket over a white dress shirt. The tails of the jacket were long, fading into deep orange tips. She had a deep orange bowtie fastened around her neck, the fox Miraculous hanging underneath it. Her pants were also black at the top, but faded into high heeled boots, matching the same deep orange color. Her mask was also different from before. Instead of covering just her eyes, her mask continued upwards into the typical fox ear shape expected from the fox Miraculous holder. Like Chat's mask, hers was now all black, excluding the very tips of the ears which were white.

Alya glanced back and forth between Ladybug and Nino. "Well? Did it work?"

"Dude, if I didn't just see that happen with my own two eyes I would have no idea who you were!" said Nino, astonished. He took his hat off and ran his hand through his hair. "You know, I'm not even sure if you're a girl anymore. You look very..." He trailed off, clearly confused.

"Sexy?" Alya supplied, a smirk on her lips. It was impossible to tell under her mask, but Ladybug was sure she was waggling her eyebrows.

"Androdgenous is the word he's going for, I think," Ladybug responded, trying not to roll her eyes. "This is amazing Alya. What inspired the tux?"

"I just thought it could add to the illusion if Reynard appeared to be more masculine this time around," she offered with a shrug. 

Her lingering on the word 'illusion' was not lost on Ladybug, and several puns Chat would have made ran through her mind. She felt her heart tighten but ignored her worry for the time being. 

"Looks like it worked," Alya said, gesturing to her boyfriend. "Nino is getting more confused the longer he stares at me."

"It definitely did," Ladybug beamed. "Well done! Reynard is the name you're going to choose then?"

"I think so! It's not too similar to Rena, is it?"

"I don't think so," said Ladybug, waving her hand. "We better head out before anyone else gets hurt. Nino, will you wait here? We'll be back soon so that Reynard can return their Miraculous."

Nino nodded, and Ladybug and Reynard set off towards the Louvre, Ladybug explaining her plan on the way. Reynard made sure to pass by a few people holding cameras so that there would be some clear shots of the 'new' fox hero.

\---

Defeating Frozen Heart was simple with Reynard's help. All they had to do was cast an illusion of Ladybug attempting to steal the goggles while the real Ladybug snuck up and stole them from behind. 

Ladybug snapped the goggles in half, and the small black butterfly fluttered out. She captured it in her yoyo and released the purified Akuma with her trademark "Bye bye little butterfly." She used her Miraculous Ladybug cleansing power, and her and Reynard fist bumped to signify the end of a successful fight before walking over to comfort the no longer akumatized victim. It hurt her heart to perform her and Chat’s usual end-of-fight gesture while he wasn’t even here, but she could not let on how worried she was.

Apparently, Frozen Heart, who was actually named Berlioz, was an artist who specialized in ice sculptures and was hired to design a piece for a party that was promoting a new exhibit at the Louvre. Chloe, who has missed the first half of school that day specifically to attend the party with her father, had unsurprisingly made fun of the ice sculpture. Her devious taunting had upset Berlioz so much he had been akumatized. 

Ladybug and Reynard assured Berlioz that he was okay and that there was no need for further apology, and also to not let what Chloe had said deter him from continuing to make beautiful sculptures. He thanked them as they left the scene, not wanting to linger while new crews were beginning to arrive. Also, though she hadn't used her Lucky Charm again and was not in danger of transforming, Ladybug wanted to get Alya back as soon as possible.

They arrived back, Reynard transformed back into Alya, the fox Miraculous was returned, and Ladybug advised her and Nino to wait until their principal announced that the coast was clear for them to return to class. She herself reached the bathroom and transformed back with just enough time to hear M. Damocles announce that everything was back to normal and the Akuma was gone.

Marinette hurried back to the classroom and gave Mlle Bustier a grateful smile as she slid back into her seat. Alya and Nino returned just after her, hurrying to explain that they had gone to another classroom to warm up.

Marinette, not needing to pay attention to her friend's story, couldn't help but notice that Adrien looked very worried. Shouldn't he know that Kagami was just as safe as they were now? Her Miraculous Ladybugs always restored everything, so why was he looking so upset?

"Adrien, you may use the bathroom now," said Mlle Bustier, turning back to the chalkboard to restart the lesson.

Marinette forced herself to put all thoughts of Adrien out of her mind as she silently wished that her powers hadn't failed for the first time ever, and that Chat was okay, wherever he was.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry if there are any typos, as I'm the only one proofreading. If you notice anything funky, please let me know! :)
> 
> (Also, I might try and draw Reynard, but no promises.)


End file.
